Honda refreshes Accord for 2011

Honda has made “significant updates” including improved fuel economy and freshened styling to its popular midsize Accord sedan and coupe for 2011, and the new models will go on sale in mid-August, the company said.

EPA ratings will be as high as 23 mpg city/34 highway on some models, up from a high of 21/31 for the 2010 Accords with the base four-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission.

For 2011, the Accord sedan and coupe will continue to be offered with a choice of two four-cylinder engines or a V-6 engine and with either a five- or six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox.

But the automatic models with a four-cylinder engine get new gear ratios that help increase fuel economy by 2 mpg in the city and 3 mpg on the highway, Honda says. Other changes that raised mileage included better aerodynamics and less engine friction.

The sedan’s exterior design has been tweaked to make it look more expensive. It gets a new grille, front bumper, trunk lid and wheel design.

As for the coupe, it has a bolder grille, new front bumper shape, revised brake lights and new wheels.

The new Accord SE sedan or coupe will come with leather upholstery and steering wheel, heated seats and power lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat, Honda said. It will be available with either a four-cylinder or V-6 engine.

“For 2011, the Accord evolves again with sharpened styling inside and out, fuel economy gains and a broader application of popular features,” Erik Berkman, American Honda Motor Co.’s vice president for corporate planning, said in an announcement of the changes for the new model year.

Other new features will include steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe, a USB audio connection on all coupe models and the EX and EX-L (leather) sedans, and a rearview camera on sedans equipped with the optional navigation system.

The EX-L V-6 models also will have a two-position memory for the driver’s seat.

Other interior changes include new seat fabrics and instrument panel design.

Honda says great care was taken on comfort and ease of operation, with sporty front bucket seats with “generous lateral support,” and frequently used climate-control switches and buttons moved to the left side of the control stack for better access.

The split-folding rear seatback will have a lockable pass-through to accommodate long items such as snow skis.

Engines include a 190-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which will be standard in the EX and EX-L sedans and LX-S, EX and EX-L coupes; and a 177-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder in the LX, LX-P and SE sedans.

The optional 3.5-liter V-6 has 271 horsepower and includes Honda’s variable cylinder management system, which cuts out two or three cylinders during level cruising to help save fuel. EPA ratings for the six-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission combination are 19 mpg city/30 highway, which is an increase of 1 mpg on the highway rating compared with the 2010 model.

A performance-oriented version of the coupe, the EX-L V-6, has a separate V-6 engine without the cylinder-deactivation feature. It comes with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The five-speed manual is standard on the four-cylinder Accord, and the five-speed automatic is optional. The V-6 models come with a five-speed automatic (the six-speed manual is exclusive to the EX-L V-6 coupe).

Also continuing is Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body design that helps improve occupant protection in the event of a crash and also enhances compatibility with other vehicles in frontal crashes.

Other features include antilock disc brakes, a double-wishbone front and multilink rear suspension, and, on the sedan, either 16-inch steel wheels or 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels, depending on the model.

There are three available audio systems, and all have MP3 playback and an auxiliary input jack. The premium system has 270 watts, a six-disc CD changer and seven speakers. XM satellite radio is standard on EX-L models.

Available on the EX-L sedan and coupe is a Honda navigation system with an 8-inch screen and interface dial. It has such features as the Zagat restaurant guide. A Bluetooth hands-free phone connection is standard on EX and EX-L coupe and EX-L sedan models.